Thursday, July 12, 2012

My Lost Love...

As the water flow from the river to the sea
continuously shaping, changing,
they affect all they touch...
For what has Lain dormant for so very long,
until your gentle, loving words,
which mean so much...
Caused a river of love to burst forth.
It awakened my heart, my love to a new life.
A life that may never find peace
but in your loving arms...
As the mountains, reveres and waterfalls become one
so must we..

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Aati
Kalenja is a traditional dance form practiced in Tulu Nadu, and
kasaragod district, India. It is a traditional dance which is typically
performed during the monsoon months of July and August.

As part
of the ritual, a person dresses up in the form of a bhuta "spirit"
known as Kalenja. Then, the Bhuta and his assistant, a drummer, go
around the village and dance in front of homes. The householders reward them with rice, coconuts, etc.

It is believed that honoring the Kalenja in this manner will rid the
village of all evil spirits. Kalenja is believed to be the protector of
the village(s) from evil spirits. Hence the impersonator of Kalenja is
welcomed by the villagers during the rainy season. The persons adorning
the role of Kalenja are typically from a community called Nalike. The
costume of Kalenja consists of coconut leaves, colorful dresses and a
cap made of areca spate.

Monday, July 9, 2012

Junk Food TV Ads ~ Is your Child Watching?

According to network rules that regulate British TV, sex scenes are
kept off the airwaves until after nine PM in order to protect children
from their influence. The results of a recent study conducted by
researchers by the University of Liverpool are now prompting calls for
similar restrictions on food advertisements.

Young
children exposed to ads for unhealthy food products may show a tendency
to consume unhealthy foods in higher amounts and may face an increased
risk of obesity and associated health problems.
Children between the ages of six and thirteen were shown ten
advertisements for junk food. After watching the ads, the children were
provided with a questionnaire in which they were asked to choose between
three food options. The options were described as “high fat, high
carbohydrate”, “high protein,” and “low energy.” The high protein
options included items like roast chicken. The low energy options
included items like salad.
After answering the questions, the children were then shown a series
of ten advertisements for toys and presented with a similar
questionnaire.
The results of the study suggest that children exposed to unhealthy
food ads (as opposed to toy ads) are far more likely to show unhealthy
eating preferences. These effects were especially pronounced among study
subjects who typically watched more than 21 hours of TV per week.
As they made these unhealthy selections, the children did not
discriminate based on brand. According to lead researcher Dr. Emma Boy-land, this was one of the most worrisome results of the survey.
“The unhealthy options we gave them after the adverts were not the
same as those which were featured in the adverts,” said Boy-land. “This
suggests that children are encouraged to eat bad food in general, which
is worse.”
Existing network rules already outlaw junk food advertising on
dedicated children’s channels and on programs directly targeted to
children under the age of nine. The findings of this study are now
leading scientists like Boy-land to push for new restrictions that would
keep junk food ads limited until a watershed of nine PM.
Like the U.S., Britain is facing what many describe as an obesity
epidemic. According the British Department of Health, almost one in ten
six year olds and fifteen percent of fifteen year olds in England are
currently classified as obese.
“We really need to be careful about when these adverts are being
shown,” says Boyland. “A watershed for junk food adverts would ensure
that they are banned from not just children’s programs during the day
but programs shown at night where families view them together. Parents
also need to limit their children’s screen time and talk to them about
the motives behind advertising.”

Eat @ your own risk

Junk food is bad for health. Its definition tells its inner story- food that is high on calories and saturated fat but low on nutritions. Junk food is all about pleasure and empty calories. So, the world is worried. It is now linked to the growing epidemic of non- communicable disease - the 'fat' problem. Every ailment from heart disease to hypertension and diabetes is linked to how one eats and how one exercises.

Junk food become the world's biggest health headache. And some governments are taking action- banning junk food advertisements in children's programmes, removing it from schools and even imposing a fat tax. Sugar, salt and fat are items that need to be regulated. This means governments have to step in to control the powerful processed food industry.

But this is not happening in India. it believes food industry has full privilege to sell anything - and kill people slowly and sweetly. So, the Pollution Monitoring Laboratory of the Center for Science and Environment, a non- profit in Delhi, decided to investigate the food people love to eat- everything from chips to bhajji and instant noodles to burgers. All the food that is sold to us through persuasive and glamorous adments; all the food that our film & cricket stars tell us to eat. The laboratory checked for fats, crabs, salt & trans fats. The result are deadly and damning.